SHIP hits the fan

The SHIP hits the fan

County Housing Director Alfred Nelson at a county commission meeting.

By WILLIAM SNOWDEN 

editor@thewakullanews.net

Things in the county's housing department have gotten pretty bad.

Apparently, some policies haven't been followed, compliance has been lax, and perhaps the department director wasn't completely briefed on his duties.
Millions in federal stimulus money that was supposed to be spent weatherizing local houses has been pulled because the department couldn't get on schedule. The money has been given to an outside agency in Tallahassee to manage.It was convenient to scapegoat the former heads of the weatherization program for the problems: Robin Diaz, who reportedly left the position a year ago after a salary dispute with County Administrator Ben Pingree; and Jerry Nuss, who was hired to replace Diaz, went through the training and then quit when he felt like Pingree was being less-than-forthright to county commissioners over the need to do emergency bids on weatherization projects.
If it was just the weatherization program that was having problems, maybe the blame would have stuck. But the other department-administered programs are also troubled, and have been for years.
The Section 8 housing program has been labeled by the feds as "troubled" and has been in "a non-compliant status" for three years.
Contracts with the State Housing Initiatives Program (SHIP) apparently haven't been signed in a timely manner, and is apparently under investigation. An audit has found deficiencies in the SHIP grant accounting.
Questions have been raised about other programs administered by the department.
County Housing Director Alfred Nelson told county commissioners last week that things are getting better. Staff is getting the training it needs, problems have been identified and are being corrected.
Unfortunately, this is the same thing Nelson has reported to county commissioners for the past year as things have gotten increasingly worse.
Pingree told commissioners that, until 30 days ago, he was unaware of the ongoing problems within the department.
It is inexplicable how the situation reached this point given that there are two levels of managers over Nelson – who answers directly to Assistant County Administrator Lindsay Stevens, who is answerable to Pingree.
As county administrator, Pingree bears ultimate responsibility.